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#9 | Networking Tips | The One-Page Internet

  1. Personal:

Networking isn't just about collecting contacts; it's about cultivating meaningful connections that can shape your personal and professional journey.

Let me share how a simple, intentional weekly email routine can transform your network and open doors.

  1. Happiness: Every morning, email someone you know (a friend, family member, or co-worker) to thank them for something.
  2. Job: At the end of the week, email your boss and summarize what you've accomplished so they know what you have been doing.
  3. Growth: Once a week, email a potential mentor. Don't be afraid to reach out to anyone with all the resources available to you online. Grow and thrive!
  4. Friendship: Email a good friend and make plans.
  5. Career: Email someone you know (but not very well) and check-in. These "weak ties" are the primary source of future career opportunities.

  1. App:

Upstract: The one-page Internet, truly! Imagine the entire Internet compressed into one page, that's what it's all about. The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, trending topics on Reddit and Twitter.

It has a super-easy interface. Each headline is clickable and directs you to the source.

Because you know what? I love simplicity and clean design.

  1. Media:

This week, I had a chat with my girlfriends who have been struggling with attention problems recently. Many people are having trouble with their attention span. Simply put, it's becoming shorter and shorter.

I have just finished a new book which I highly recommend: Stolen Focus by Johann Hari.

Best quote for me from this book:

In the world of distractions, focus becomes the key to unlock your true potential.

Our ability to focus is collapsing. Here are some facts you probably didn't know:

  • The average American spends three hours and fifteen minutes per day on their phone
  • The average college student switches tasks every 65 seconds and focuses on one thing for an average of 19 seconds
  • The average office worker spends just three minutes on an uninterrupted task. Even the average Fortune 500 CEO only gets 28 minutes of uninterrupted focus a day.


Key Takeaways

  1. Do not blame yourself: your limited focus time is not solely due to extensive social media usage.
  2. We are overwhelmed with information, and the increase in speed, switching, and filtering causes us to lose depth in many areas of our lives.
  3. Frequent interruptions in our daily lives can condition us to interrupt ourselves, even in the absence of external disruptions. This self-interruption makes it harder for us to achieve a flow state, where we become completely absorbed in our activities, losing track of time and self, fully merging with the experience.
  4. It doesn’t take much sleep deprivation for our abilities to be affected. The rise of physical and mental exhaustion causes us to lose sight too.
  5. Read paper books: reading books cultivates a particular type of linear and focused reading over an extended period. In contrast, screen reading fosters a fragmented approach, encouraging us to scan and skim for necessary information. *Reading a book is one of the most common ways people experience flow.
  6. Mind-wandering is not a bad thing at all, just let yourself be free (no phones though).
  7. Be aware of how big tech companies can easily manipulate you. If you do not understand what I mean, watch "The Social Dilemma" on Netflix.

  1. Events:

I'm adding a new section to my weekly newsletter. This section will include events that I enjoy. Since this is a personal newsletter, I'll share events that I plan to attend or wish I could. These events might be for fun, personal growth, or related to tech and finance.

For more tech meetups and events in the US/UK, follow our professional newsletter from Pretiosum Ventures. 

Here's a glimpse of what you can expect:

I am traveling in the MENA region and, besides my work duties, I am going to:

  • LEAP: the biggest tech conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
  • Kevin Hart is in Dubai, UAE on March 4. I love his stand-ups, so if you are in the area, I would recommend attending.

As always, I'm super excited to hear your feedback on Instagram (@yana_pretiosum) or Twitter (@yana_vc). Do you have a favorite bullet point from above? Or perhaps you have some other cool suggestions? I can't wait to hear from you!

Have a wonderful week ahead,

Yana

P.S. If you found this newsletter valuable, why not share it with a friend who might enjoy it too?;)

Published by:

Yana Abramova